Boulder County Disaster Communications
Call Center History Expanded Dispatch Control Center Staffed primarily from BCSO and BPD records staff and a handful of front desk staff Trained only on WebEOC software and phones Work contact information
Call Center Life Cycle Incident begins EOC activated ESF 15 consults with dispatch to decide if Call Center needs to be activated Call Center manager or shift manager contacts call takers and shift managers Schedule filled for 1-2 days at a time Call Center stays active until ESF 15 decides it s no longer needed (schedule may be cut down) Call Center de-activated
Information Overload
Fourmile Canyon Fire Occurred on Labor Day Prompted thousands of evacuations National media attention University of Colorado
Fourmile Canyon Fire Phone Report Total number of phone calls answered: 11,140 Total duration of calls: +258 hrs Calls by day: 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 6-Sep 7-Sep 8-Sep 9-Sep 10-Sep 11-Sep 12-Sep 13-Sep 14-Sep
September Floods Phone Report Total number of phone calls answered: 8,268 Total duration of calls: +315 hrs Average duration of calls: 1.28 minutes Calls by day: 2000 1500 1000 500 0 12-13-Sep 14-15-Sep 16-17-Sep 18-19- 20-21- 22-23- 24-
So, you want to start a Call Center
Staff Recommendations Have a list of dedicated local staff/volunteers that have been trained Have staff from a variety of offices/departments Have dedicated and trained shift managers Have their after-hours contact information Establish a schedule to avoid burnout Engage your staff/volunteers (e.g. brown bag trainings)
Technical Recommendations Create an email distribution list ICD phone system is best, daisy chain can work Have a dedicated space, if possible Maps! White boards Laptops/iPads Make sure you have IT support Have the Call Center work with ESF 15 (PIO s) Create a call center manual that anyone pick up and run with it
Call Center Training Half-day class that covers: Introductions Emergency Management/Incident Command System WebEOC software Trauma Response Logistics of the Call Center Tour of EOC and Dispatch Call Center Exercise Q & A Next Steps (Sign-up)
Call Center Schedule 6a-12p 9a-3p 12p-6p 3p-9p 6p-12a 9p-3a 12a-6a 3a-9a Shift Manager 1 Shift Manager 2 Shift Manager 3 Shift Manager 4 Call Taker 1 Call Taker 4 Call Taker 1 Call Taker 4 Call Taker 1 Call Taker 4 Call Taker 1 Call Taker 4 Call Taker 2 Call Taker 5 Call Taker 2 Call Taker 5 Call Taker 2 Call Taker 5 Call Taker 2 Call Taker 5 Call Taker 3 Call Taker 6 Call Taker 3 Call Taker 6 Call Taker 3 Call Taker 6 Call Taker 3 Call Taker 6 Alternate Alternate Alternate Alternate Alternate Alternate Alternate Alternate
Engaging Volunteers/Staff Topic Organization Wildland Fire 101 Emergency Services Shelters & Services American Red Cross Severe Weather National Weather Service Vicarious Trauma Sheriff's Office Flooding UDFCD Documentary on September 2013 Flood The Weather Channel
Call Center Manual Call Center Activation: Work with ESF 15 and Communications Center to determine need of Call Center Send email to emergencycallcenter@bouldercounty.org to begin to schedule staffing Work with OEM & Sheriff s Office IT staff on any needs of the Call Center room Log into WebEOC and review by the numbers to get situational awareness Start a 211 form Personnel check-in list Start a 214 form Unit Log Update the outgoing phone message Update whiteboards with pertinent information Brief call takers when they arrive Get phones into ready state Let ESF 15 know when Call Center is active
Call Center Space
Which will turn into this
County and City PIOs collaborate
How does it work? OEM staff (about 7) monitor weather conditions 24/7 Create significant event in WebEOC Decide which ESFs to call in and when When activated, begin coordinating efforts For PIOs: Gathering information, posting to social media/website, taking media calls, staying connected with other ESFs for updated info, writing press releases and editorials, coordinating media tours, compiling images/data and more Maintain high level of contact, certainly during rescue phase
A central hub for all operations
Home away from home
Providing a necessary service Balancing the public s needs and the media s needs Collaborating to build a new website and create content www.bouldercountyflood.org Flood Videos Real-time interaction with constituents Twitter (huge numbers of re-tweets/voice of authority/accuracy checks/rumor control) Facebook (Q&A sessions, idea generating)
Public Warnings Sept. 11-12 2321 hrs. Four Mile Canyon climb to safety 2341 hrs. Anne U White - climb to safety 0025 hrs. City Of Boulder - climb to safety at mouth of the canyon 0036 hrs. Jamestown - seek higher ground 0107 hrs. Longmont Dam Rd - seek higher ground 0110 hrs. South St Vrain seek higher ground 0135 hrs. Jamestown seek higher ground 0217 hrs. Lyons seek higher ground
Twitter Sept. 4-22, 2010 Fourmile Fire @BoulderCounty (Joined Oct. 2008) Sent 131 tweets (most sent Sept. 7 and 12) An average of 7 tweets per day 4 tweets were a retweet of someone else, remaining were original content 99 of the tweets were retweeted by at least one other person (The tweets were retweeted a total of 456 times) Most retweeted tweet (42 retweets,or about 22,355 potential views): Incident Command reports tonight that the Fourmile Canyon #boulderfire is 100 percent contained. Most used hashtag was #boulderfire (72 times)
Twitter Sept. 5-23, 2010 Fourmile Fire @BoulderOEM (started April 2010) Sent 103 tweets (most sent Sept. 7 and 12) An average of 6 tweets per day 4 tweets were a retweet of someone else, remaining were original content 61 of the tweets were retweeted by at least one other person (The tweets were retweeted a total of 155 times) Most retweeted tweet (8 times, or about 26,677 potential views*): This is the most comprehensive list of residential areas that have been ordered to evacuate as a result of the... http://fb.me/gnjhphsw Most used hashtag was #boulderfire (72 times)
Twitter Sept. 10-30, 2013 @BoulderOEM Sent 393 tweets (102 of these were sent on the 12 th alone) An average of 20 tweets per day Only 23 tweets were a retweet of someone else, remaining were original content 384 of the tweets were retweeted by at least one other person (The tweets were retweeted a total of 5,456 times) Most retweeted tweet: Evacuation ordered: Mouth of Boulder Canyon to Broadway, Pearl to Marine GO TO HIGHER GROUND immediately #boulderflood Most used hashtag was #boulderflood (291 times)
Twitter Sept. 10-30, 2013 @BoulderCounty Sent 387 tweets An average of 19 tweets per day 49 tweets were a retweet of someone else, remaining were original content 340 of the tweets were retweeted by at least one other person (The tweets were retweeted a total of 2,718 times) Most retweeted tweet (retweeted 133 times): Evacuation ordered: Mouth of Boulder Canyon to Broadway, Pearl to Marine GO TO HIGHER GROUND immediately #boulderflood Most used hashtag was #boulderflood (283 times)
We have Now Set a Precedent Our community expects immediate news The media is watching and expects the updates We have more control over the message Don t forget the old fashion mediums